Iris Baez Testimony Against Randy Mastro Appointment

My name is Iris Baez, I am the mother of Anthony Baez, who was murdered by NYPD Officer Francis Livoti in 1994 with a chokehold that was banned by the NYPD, even back then. I’ve fought for over three decades to try to make sure no other families have to suffer as I have.

This Eric Adams is unbelievable! He’s doing everything in his power to take us back to the Guiliani era and make things even worse. Trying to bring Randy Mastro back in just his latest scheme. With his new Cop City, the games with the City Charter, and the crackdown on New Yorkers who can’t afford subway fare or have mental illness, Mayor Adam’s administration is shaping up to be Giuliani 2.0. We cannot allow this to happen. 

As someone who lived through Guilani, I’m here today to tell the City Council - you must reject Mayor Adams’ appointment of Randy Mastro as New York City’s corporation counsel. 

Back then, Mastro was rightfully called “Guiliani’s pitbull.” He spent years defending racist, abusive policing by Guiliani’s NYPD. Mastro was Guliani’s Chief of Staff when my son, Anthony, Nicholas Heyward Jr, Anthony Rosario, and Hilton Vega were murdered by the NYPD.  He defended Giuliani’s Broken Windows Policing that targeted Black and Latinx communities, like mine in the South Bronx. As Deputy Mayor, he joined Guilani in mocking and dismissing nearly all of the 1998 recommendations of the Task Force on Police/Community Relations.

Allowing Randy Mastro to become corp counsel in charge of 800 lawyers would be a disaster for New York City. It would mean creating a legal regime that supports NYPD excessive force, racial profiling and the criminalization of poor and low-income communities of color.

I urge the City Council to reject Mayor Adams’ appointment of Randy Mastro to Corp Counsel.